Skip to main content

Used

As I look back over the past 15 years, I see so many ways in which I basically prostitued myself to the world. (Of course, I do not mean I was an actual prostitue by trade or by any other means!) I let the world take everything from me. I sometimes gave it freely out of rebellion, out of hurt and frustration, out of the need to feel accepted or part of something. At the end, though, I still felt hurt and frustrated, alone, unfulfilled and now I had an addiction.

My drug of choice was alcohol. I would drink for a feeling. Maybe I had a bad day, or maybe I had something to celebrate. I'd end up with a terrible hangover, which of course could only be cured by another drink. Then, I'd drink because I was ashamed I had had so much to drink the night before and I had behaved so badly! Or worse, I couldn't remember what I had done so I had to rely on those drinking with me to piece it back together. I know, stupid, but a very real, a very vicious cycle. I was so ashamed of how far I fell away from my only source of life. I was no longer attached to The Vine. I had compromised EVERYTHING. There is no void or darkness greater than when you turn your back on The Light!

The truth is that when the world uses you, they use you up. You are left feeling exhausted, empty, dehydrated, numb and very, very alone. Eventually you have nothing left to give, so your "friends" move on to the next well.

Oh, but life in Canaan is far richer! When God uses you, He not only replenishes what was used, He more than doubles your return! The more you pour out, the more He pours in! What an investment!

Luke 6:38
"...Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap..."

WOW! How encouraging; literally, "my cup runneth over!"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Pleaser

Hello, my name is Brittni and I am a people pleaser.  They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Today, I realized this has been a huge stumbling block for me.  Many of the situations I have found myself in can be attributed to doing something I didn't really want to do because I thought someone else wanted me to or better yet, needed me to do.  I have compromised my own beliefs, taken responsibility for things that were not my fault, even made untrue assessments about myself all for the pleasing of someone else.  I called it being agreeable, keeping the peace.  Only, I didn't have peace.  How dumb is that? Joyce Meyer writes, "IT ALL COMES DOWN TO ONE THING…Motives… Why are we doing (or not doing) something? Are we being motivated by fear, personal gain or a sense of obligation? Are we being motivated by a desire to be in control, accepted or seen?  These are all the wrong reasons for doing something. Our motive for...
4 comments
Read more

The Refiner's Fire

The past couple of months have been difficult. Nothing earth-shattering has happened, no tragedies. I have been looking in the mirror of my soul. I have seen some ugly things. These "things" always come up when I pray earnestly for a clean heart. I'm referring to heart matters such as envy, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, idolatry, even. It's the ugliness I see when I say, "Father, that I might melt into you!" You see in order to become one with Christ, He has to clean us up. He has to bring those unsightly things to the surface that we try to bury inside (all the while praying no one else sees them) in order for us to deal with them. This is The Refiner's Fire. The fire that burns out the dross to bring forth gold. That same fire referenced in Malachi 3:2 which states, "...He will be like a refiner's fire or the launderer's soap." John the Baptist foretells of Jesus' coming with "His winnowing fan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Porcupine

Photo by Vadym “The porcupine, whom one must handle gloved, may be respected, but never loved.”               ~Arthur Guiterman Those who know me, even those who have followed my blogs, know I have struggled in relationships. Though it is true, many of the hellacious, short-lived relationships were the result of simply picking the wrong people--whether romantic relationships, friendships, even mentors. For this reason, it is particularly important to pray about every aspect of your life, not just "the big things." In all actuality, the simplest details overlooked can thrust you into the most difficult and most painful situations from which to extricate yourself. Often, this is where we experience being blind-sided. Through these tumultuous times, as we all do, I have developed a defense mechanism that I only discovered in the past few weeks. In my prayer time, a revelation came to me so clearly, I may as well ha...
3 comments
Read more